Mentor Assessment #3

Akshitha Sreerangapuri 2/6/2020 

 
My third mentor visit was more insightful and rewarding than the previous two
visits. For instance, during my first visit, time flew by very quickly as I was having fun
and on my 2nd visit, I passed out due to lack of breakfast and learned a very good
life-lesson. Although my 3rd visit was just as eventful, it was very different from the first
two times I shadowed Dr. Kumar.

One of the main reasons is that I learned many things in a single visit. I was there
for about 2 hours and the amount of knowledge I gained was very interesting.
Specifically, I had the opportunity to observe a child’s ear with infection and another
child’s ear that doesn’t have an infection. As I saw the difference between the normal ear
and infected ear, I was able to use my anatomical knowledge and understand what Dr.
Kumar was teaching me. Although this might seem very trivial, it meant a big deal to me
because it showed me how the information I am learning in high school is actually
helping me pursue my main goal in life: to be a successful doctor. I often wondered
whether taking classes such as medical terminology and anatomy & psychology was
going to be helpful in improving my medical knowledge, and after this incident, I was
happy to know I am making the right choices.

Another reason why this visit was special is that as I was learning something new
from each patient, I wrote a log in my “clinical rotation” book and tested myself of the
information after that. I have always been very diligent when it comes to working hard,
and to know I am not losing that capability during my senior year is very self-satisfying. I
had my clinical rotation book from last year’s health science 2 class and when I found out
I wasn’t going to wear the same scrubs and meet patients every other day this year, I was
very frustrated and disappointed at the same time. I applied to all health science 3 classes
and I thought I had a chance to get into any one of the programs, but I was so depressed
after I found out I will not be able to continue gaining meaningful experiences.

This is where ISM comes in. I realized how even though most people get selected
into the ISM program, I should be grateful to have the opportunity to expand my scope of
knowledge in the specific field I was interested in. For example, Health Science 3 only
allows students to maximize their skills in EMT, EKG, and Pharmacology where as ISM
allows everyone to choose any career they are interested in. This doesn’t mean I think
health science 3 is not as great as ISM. It is just as rewarding as ISM because it provides
students with proper credentials in order to work and gain money. In a way, I think it was
meant for me to be in ISM because if I were to have been accepted into the health science
3 programs, I would have missed out on shadowing Dr. Kumar and creating great
friendships. As a result, this visit put me off thinking in a positive mindset and made me
realize how thankful I should be to get selected into this program.

In terms of the logs I created in my book, I made sure to write down all relevant
information that will be useful for me in the future. For example, most of the patients
who visit Dr. Kumar have been sick due to the flu season and now I know one of the
most common ways to treat the condition. This is a very simple example but it shows me
how I am already gaining information that medical students receive.

I will be using all of this information moving forward in multiple ways. One of the
ways includes how to learn and grasp new information by taking proper notes in addition
to how to interact with patients. For instance, Mr. Pirtle recently told us about where to
draw the professional line between engaging with patients. It was hard to figure out
where I should draw the line, but after 3 mentor visits, I am confident I comprehend what
is necessary and what is not. For example, although I can’t ask Dr. Kumar if I can
perform some clinical duties, I will ask him any questions I have about the patient by
keeping confidentiality.

In conclusion, I am having a very positive mindset towards the field of pediatrics

and I definitely appreciate Dr. Kumar’s patience and consideration. He is always very
calm and doesn’t show any sign of disturbance when I ask him any questions. It feels
nice to have a mentor that understands where my questions are coming from and how
much his responses help me have a good perspective about this career field. Ergo, I
cannot wait to shadow him for the next time and I hope to make great memories again.